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MICHIGAN POLICE CHIEFSOFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE MICHIGAN ASSOCIATION OF CHIEFS OF POLICE SUMMER 2021 LIFE IS BETTER WITH BLUE ALMA PD RECRUITS THERAPY DOG MMRMA & MACP: Partners in Excellence Providing comprehensive liability & property coverage and superior risk management services to Michigan public entities since 1980 www.mmrma.org • 800-243-1324 CONTENTSMICHIGAN POLICE CHIEFS SUMMER 2021.ISSUE 2 FEATURES 10 What is LERMA? 12 Life is Better with Blue 16 First Net: Providing Mobility and Flexibility for Michigan Law Enforcement 20 Spotlight Partner: Saima Mohsin 24 Organizational Transformation in 32 Policing 28 State Association of Chiefs of Police 32 Track-Kit: Michigan’s Sexual Assault Kit Tracking System Helps Law Enforcement 35 Winter Professional Development Conference Wrap-Up DEPARTMENTS 04 President’s Message 16 06 Director’s Message 08 Accreditation News 38 Member News 12 44 Supporting Members 46 Advertiser Index 35 PRESIDENT’SMESSAGE The summer months are fast approaching and with each passing day we get closer and closer to some sense of normalcy. The Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police has been busy navigating multiple issues over the past several months to help ensure our officers, our departments, and our profession remains safe and strong. This past February, we were able to safely hold our Winter Professional Development Conference. It may have looked a little different with safety measures and attendance limitations in place but the opportunity to have face-to-face presentations and the ability to meet with fellow professionals was not only appreciated but needed. As I write this, preparation for our Summer Professional Development Conference is underway. There will still be some challenges with putting together a high caliber conference, but you can be sure that the MACP will do everything in its power to make sure it is safe and filled with excellent opportu- nities for professional development and networking. You can imagine the amount of planning and Chief Ronald L. Wiles work that goes into putting together an event considering the quality and size of our Professional Development conferences. It certainly would not be possible without the efforts of our MACP staff. Thank you to our MACP Executive Director Bob Stevenson, Director of Professional Development Neal Rossow, and Executive Assistant Janeice Morrow for your dedication and hard work, it is truly appreciated. As professionals it is important that we take the time and put in the effort to learn, grow, and improve. Law enforcement is a noble profession that is constantly changing. As leaders if we do not keep up with those changes we will certainly fall behind. It has long been a goal of the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police to be a valuable resource and provide timely information that makes it easier for our members and their departments to be successful. The MACP continues to play a significant role in the advancement of the law enforcement profession. Accreditation, Use-of-Force Data Collection, DOJ Use-of-Force policy certification, and Professional Development conferences are just a few of the areas where the MACP has led the way. The association and its members continue to build strong relationships and a significant presence on commissions and committees across the state. As we look towards the future, I would urge everyone to get involved with the MACP. We all play a role in helping to ensure that the high standards of our profession are upheld. Whether you are interested in sitting on the board, serving on a committee, becoming an ac- credited agency, or attending some of the professional development or training seminars, the MACP has opportunities for us to better ourselves, improve our departments, and advance our profession. The Summer Conference is usually the time we swear in our new Board of Directors. This year the board will remain largely intact. We will however replace six long-time board members as they near retirement. I would like to thank our current Secretary/Treasurer Chief Curt Caid (Livonia), Representative Chief Rick Freeman (District 4 - Davison Township), Representative Chief Eric Marshall (District 5 - Paw Paw), Representative Chief Greg Long (District 6 - Walker), Representative As professionals it is Chief R. Blake Rieboldt (District 12 - Marquette), and Representative Chief James E. Craig (District important that we take 13 – Detroit) for their years of service as MACP board members. They have served our profession and our association with the professionalism that it expects and deserves. Congratulations on your up- the time and put in the coming retirements. We wish you the best in your future endeavors. effort to learn, grow, Lastly, thank you for everything you do for our profession. Please continue to pray for our officers as and improve. they continue to work hard to make a positive difference in our communities - Stay Safe! 4 SUMMER 2021 Count on Macomb for Law Enforcement Training Since 1971, Macomb Community College’s Public Service Institute has provided the highest quality criminal justice training, education and preparation. More than 4,100 of Michigan’s finest law enforcement personnel have successfully completed the basic police academy and thousands of active duty law enforcement personnel have taken advantage of our advanced training programs. Comprehensive Training Opportunities: n Macomb Basic Police Academy n Advanced Training Community n Academic Degree Programs College n Management & Leadership Studies n State-of-the-art facilities, with Michigan’s largest indoor firearms range, firearms/use-of-force simulator, search and rescue room When You’re Ready, They’ll be Ready Are you hiring? Our graduates have completed courses of study and skill training that qualifies them to serve with the finest police departments in Michigan. Like yours. www.macomb.edu/PSI Contact us today for more information 586.498.4060 [email protected] 8144_LawEnforcementAd-wBleeds.indd 1 7/21/20 12:05 PM DIRECTOR’SMESSAGE It has now been a little over a year since the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minnesota Police. While George Floyd was not the saint many are now making him out to be, he certainly did not deserve to be killed by Officer Derek Chauvin in an act that was condemned by the MACP and police agencies across the nation. The negative reaction to George Floyd’s murder was intense, im- mense, and has been unrelenting. First it was protests and civil unrest in numerous cities. Some of these protests turned into full scale riots which tragically led to injuries and deaths of both civilians and police officers. Next came the political ramifications at the local level with activists calling for the defunding of police, reorganiza- tion of police departments, civilian oversight boards and a call for change to police leadership. In too many cities, well respected chiefs were either fired or resigned due to public or political pressure. This included cities within Michigan. Then came the politicians, with all of their wisdom and crimi- nal justice expertise, ushering in the “police reform” legislation. Robert Stevenson At the federal level, H.R. 7210 – George Floyd Justice in Policing Act 2020, was introduced. Among other things proposed, this Act would ban choke holds, ban no-knock warrants, make it easier to prosecute police officers accused of misconduct, create a national police misconduct registry to pre- vent police officers who are fired or pushed out for bad performance from being hired by other agen- cies, enhance “pattern and practice” investigations of police departments by granting the Justice Department subpoena power and establishing grant programs for state attorneys general to conduct their own probes, and most importantly ban qualified immunity at the federal level. Numerous states across our nation have passed bills that include “police reform” measures. Some have banned state qualified immunity, required body cameras, reduced funding to their police, created duty-to-inter- vene laws, changed when fatal force can be used, and have even gone so far as prohibiting the police from enforcing minor offenses. As we approached the May 25th anniversary date of George Floyd’s death, pressure continued to build for Michigan to get involved in the police reform movement. The MACP was contacted by both Republican and Democratic leadership to talk about what we will call “police improvement” mea- sures. Their goal was to give us a chance to give input and react to the legislation they were going to introduce. We gave our input and achieved some minor changes. On May 25th, Senate Bills 0473 - 0484 were very symbolically introduced on the one-year anniversary of the death of George Floyd. Some of this legislation is good, such as SB 0474, which tightens up the reporting to MCOLES on separation of service circumstances, SB 0475, which would prevent a revoked license for an officer who used excessive force that resulted in the death or serious bodily harm from being reissued, and SB 0483, which would cause a study to be conducted regarding officer recruitment, retention, job stressors, and public perceptions of police agencies and officers. Now that the Some of the legislation is redundant and not needed. This would include SB 0478, that bans choke legislation has been holds except in deadly force situations. This is the current Michigan standard under a ruling from the presented, it is Federal 6th Circuit Court. SB 0479 would ban no-knock search warrants, which currently Michigan does not allow. Passage of these two bills is almost certainly assured. Then there are the bills that are imperative that all extremely problematic. This includes SB 0481, which deals with use of force; SB 0482, that has some our MACP members unrealistic training requirements; and, SB 0484, that pertains to body cameras. These will be the bills that we will be focusing on and working the hardest to improve.